Diversity Initiatives
LAAC supports efforts to increase diversity in the legal profession, and we focus much of our energy on increasing diversity in the legal services community. Below are some helpful resources for advocates, attorneys, and executive directors.
A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Racial Justice Toolkit for Civil Legal Aid Organizations
In 2021, LAAC’s IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability in Legal Aid) Committee published the initial public draft of our DEI toolkit to support the legal aid community in furthering DEI processes at their organizations and advancing community wide conversations on equity and racial justice. This a community document, so to provide feedback and get involved in the creation of future iterations please reach out to us at IDEAL@laaconline.org
2019 Justice at Risk: Recruitment and Retention Report
In 2019, LAAC published a recruitment and retention report of CA legal aid attorneys. Though the report was not designed to collect extensive diversity data, there is interesting information within the report pertaining to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in legal aid.
List of Outreach Ideas for Recruiting Diverse Candidates (2015)
In partnership with other organizations, LAAC created a list of bar associations and other outlets to use to announce openings in legal services offices. Organizations must start with a diverse candidate pool to be able to hire a qualified candidate, and we hope these ideas create a diverse pool.
List of Outreach Ideas for Recruiting Diverse Candidates Bar Associations:
CA State Bar List of Minority Bar Associations
San Francisco Bay Area Minority Bar Coalitions
Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California
LGBT Bar Associations:
National:
LGBT Bar’s Annual Lavender Law Career Fair
Los Angeles:
Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
Sacramento:
Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians
San Diego:
San Francisco:
Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom
Santa Rosa:
LGBT Law Section of the Sonoma County Bar Association
Disability Bar Associations:
Disability Rights Bar Association
National Association of Attorneys with Disabilities
Women’s Bar Associations:
Queen’s Bench Bar Association (San Francisco)
Ethnic Minority Bar Associations:
African American:
Charles Houston Bar Association (Northern CA)
John M. Langston Bar Association of LA
Native American:
National Native American Bar Association
California Indian Law Association
Hispanic/Latino:
Hispanic National Bar Association
La Raza Lawyers- chapters in San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Clara
Orange County Hispanic Bar Association
Mexican American Bar Association
Asian/Pacific Islander:
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area
Korean American Bar Association of Southern California
Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) Los Angeles
Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCALA)
Arab American Lawyers of Southern California
Law School Student Organizations (contact each law school so they can circulate to alumni):
– Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
– Black Law Students Association
– La Raza
– Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Students Association
– Muslim Law Students Association
– Filipino Law Students Association
– Native American Law Students Association
–National Association of Law Students with Disabilities
– Association of Law Students for Disability Rights (Univ. of San Francisco School of Law)
– Women’s Law Association
– Lambda Law Students Association
Other:
Public Service Jobs Directory (PSJD)
LAAC-maintained Legal Aid Job Posting page
Other community groups and partners in collaborative efforts